Xwrits NEWS

Version 2.19   8.Feb.2002

* The escalation "clock" corresponding to `after=TIME' options proceeds
  even after you cancel a break by deleting all the xwrits windows.
  Therefore, you can no longer prevent escalation by deleting xwrits
  windows with your window manager.

* Locking code works with large `lock-picture's. Reported by Carlos
  O'Donell Jr. <carlos@baldric.uwo.ca>.

* Add `bars-picture' option. If you specify your own `lock-picture', then
  `bars-picture' defaults to a black screen. Say `bars-picture="&bars"' to
  get the old behavior.

* Add `+verbose' option for debugging.

* Xwrits checks whether other clients pay attention to KeyRelease events,
  as well as KeyPress events. This may improve its interaction with certain
  window managers. For example, xwrits seemed to come up less frequently
  than it should when I was using KDE.

* `--multiscreen' still doesn't seem to work, but I don't know why.


Version 2.18   21.Dec.2001

* Fix `--multiscreen' option. Reported by Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>.


Version 2.17   18.Dec.2001

* Add `--multiscreen' option. Requested by Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>.


Version 2.16   23.Aug.2001

* Choose font more carefully, to avoid null pointer dereferences. Problem
  reported by Sharif Nassar <sharif@mrwacky.com>.


Version 2.15   18.Apr.2001

* Xwrits processes play nicely with one another. For example, two xwrits
  processes with `+top' no longer fight each other to get to the top of the
  window stack; and xwrits processes inform one another when you click on a
  window to take a break. Requested by Thomer M. Gil
  <thomergil@hotmail.com>, who runs two xwrits processes at once: one for
  microbreaks, one for longer breaks.


Version 2.14   15.Feb.2001

* Fixed new crash when `+lock' and `+breakclock' were both supplied.
  Reported by Chris Keane <chris@chris-keane.co.uk>.

* Fixed time-adjusting code when the system clock jumps backwards: Do not
  use the remaining-timeout value to calculate how much the system clock
  has changed. The symptom was that xwrits windows would stop animating if
  the system clock jumped backwards (even by a little bit).


Version 2.13   11.Feb.2001

* Documented multiple `breaktime' specifications. This lets you, for
  example, make a break longer depending on how long you waited to take it.
  See the ESCALATION section of the manual page. These were added in an
  earlier version, but never documented.

* The escalation "clock" corresponding to `after=TIME' options proceeds
  even while xwrits thinks you're resting. Therefore, you can no longer
  prevent escalation by clicking on the xwrits window (making it think
  you're resting) and then typing some more. Requested by Conrad Hughes
  <conrad@eireann.org>.

* Bug fix: The `breakclock' always counts down from the end of the break.
  Previously, it counted back from a random time when `+mouse' was true.
  Reported by Tijn Porcelijn <taine@3niat.myweb.nl>.

* Hopefully fixed bugs that were causing xwrits to crash on Chris Keane
  <chris@chris-keane.co.uk>.

* Bug fix: Erasing messages on the lock screen didn't completely work if
  the hand picture was in the way. This resulted in unreadable displays.
  Fixed.

* Hopefully fixed bugs that caused animation to stop sometimes.

* The lock screen now shows how many characters of your unlock password
  you've typed.


Version 2.12   14.Nov.2000

* Changed Alarm structure into a doubly linked list. May improve
  performance when there are many xwrits windows.


Version 2.11   29.Jan.2000

* Fixed bug: destroying xwrits windows with the window manager could
  corrupt memory and eventually cause a crash. Reported by Anders
  Melchiorsen <and@kampsax.dtu.dk>.


Version 2.10   5.Jan.2000

* Xwrits can simultaneously monitor multiple displays (and report problems
  on all of them). Just give the `display' option multiple times.

* Added `lock-picture' option.

* Fixed bug: default `canceltime' could be longer than `typetime'.

* Fixed bug: sometimes the warning window picture would stop being
  animated.


Version 2.9   30.Dec.1999

* `german' is now its own beast: an animated gesture suggested by Andreas
  Stenger <Andreas.Stenger@smallworld.de>.

* When `+quota' is on and you take a quota break, xwrits lengthens your
  typing time by that amount, as well as shortening your break time by that
  amount. Now a break cycle -- the time from when one break is over, until
  when the next break is over -- is the same length of time (typetime plus
  breaktime) whether or not `+quota' is in use. Suggested by Justin Wells
  <justin@fever.semiotek.com>.

* Added `minbreaktime' for use with `+quota'. It defaults to half the break
  length or the quota time, whichever is longer. Suggested by Justin Wells
  <justin@fever.semiotek.com>.

* Added `canceltime' option. This is the amount of time that you are
  allowed to type if you cancel a break (by deleting all xwrits windows
  with the window manager). Suggested, again, by Justin Wells
  <justin@fever.semiotek.com>.

* Made GIF records read-only. This should result in slightly better memory
  performance in all cases, and especially for people running more than one
  xwrits at once.


Version 2.9b1   10.Aug.1999

* Added `+quota' option. With `+quota=TIME' on, if you leave your
  workstation idle for more than TIME, xwrits will subtract that idle time
  from the length of the next break. Requested by Justin Wells
  <justin@fever.semiotek.com>.

* Xwrits always monitors your key presses, even with `-idle'. Sort of
  requested by Malcolm Ross Kinsella Ryan <malcolmr@cse.unsw.edu.au>.

* Changed semantics of `+idle=IDLETIME'. Now the IDLETIME argument is the
  amount of time that must pass before an idle period is treated like a
  break. Something like this was requested by Peter Boult
  <pjb@sagres.com.au>.

* Pressing the mouse button on an xwrits window counts as a key press.

* Thickened index finger on `+finger=korean' picture.

* Added `german', `japanese', and `russian' as synonyms for
  `+finger=korean'.


Version 2.8   9.Aug.1999

* Added the `+cheat' option to allow limited cheating during a break.

* Extended `+finger' to `+finger=CULTURE', and included a rude Korean
  gesture (`+finger=korean').

* You can set the mouse motion detector's sensitivity with
  `+mouse[=SENSITIVITY]'. Default sensitivity has been raised to 15 pixels.
  Requested by Radoslaw Stachowiak <radek.stachowiak@alter.pl>.

* Changed the way times are parsed for consistency. Now a fractional number
  like `2.5' means 2.5 minutes, not 2.5 seconds. You can still get 2.5
  seconds with `:2.5'. A clarification of the time situation was originally
  requested by Sam Ockman <ockman@cs.stanford.edu>.

* Fixed bugs in `+multiply': iconifying a multiplied warning window would
  cause a crash, and new warning windows wouldn't have clocks attached.

* Fixed bugs in picture loading code: multiple `flashtime' options had no
  effect since 2.8b1.


Version 2.8b2   4.Aug.1999

* Xwrits can finally monitor your mouse movements with the `+mouse' option.
  I've been meaning to implement this feature for years. It has been
  requested by Radoslaw Stachowiak <radek.stachowiak@alter.pl>, Justin
  Wells <justin@fever.semiotek.com>, Chris Brand
  <chris_brand@raytheon.com>, Mark Lewis <mlewis@cgrg.ohio-state.edu>, Alex
  Westner <westner@media.mit.edu>, Peter Boult <pjb@sagres.com.au>, Malcolm
  Ross Kinsella Ryan <malcolmr@cse.unsw.edu.au>, Sam Ockman
  <ockman@cs.stanford.edu>, and possibly others.

* You can specify your own GIF pictures or animations for the warning,
  resting, and ready windows with the `--warning-picture',
  `--rest-picture', and `--ready-picture' options. I've been meaning to
  implement this feature for a while, too. Tom Murphy
  <murphy@quixote.engr.sgi.com> also requested it.

* Various code cleanups and some bug fixes.


Version 2.8b1   3.Aug.1999

* Fixed bugs related to the count of how many hands were actively visible.
  This surfaced in several ways: too few multiplied windows, deleting
  xwrits windows could cause a segmentation fault, and so forth. Bug
  reported by Darko Marinov <marinov@lcs.mit.edu>.

* Different `+top' behavior: now warning windows look at the window
  stacking order and try to keep themselves on top.

* Simplified clock drawing mechanism.

* Updated GIF library to 0.9999.


Version 2.7.3   28.Dec.1998

* Updated GIF library to 0.99; moved to config.h-based configuration.

* Use the failing-malloc library to avoid problems with some systems' bad
  realloc() definitions.


Version 2.7.2   16.Dec.1998

* Another bug fix in code for adjusting break length (sometimes it wouldn't
  notice that a break should be over, and would incorrectly start
  flashing when you typed).

* Finally, real `--help'!


Version 2.7.1   9.Dec.1998

* Fixed bug where breaks would often be dramatically shortened for no good
  reason. (The problem: there were several static variables named
  last_key_time, instead of one global variable.)


Version 2.7   7.Dec.1998

* Xwrits will adjust the length it wants you to rest depending on how long
  it's been since you last typed. Bug reported by A.T. Hofkamp
  <a.hofkamp@wtb.tue.nl>.

* Xwrits now behaves robustly when the system time is adjusted backwards.

* The xwrits package now uses automake.


Version 2.6.5   6.Oct.1998

* Makefiles: Fixed vpath builds and problems with old `make's (makes which
  didn't support $< in explicit rules).


Version 2.6.4   26.Sep.1998

* Added `--help' (well, `help') to conform to GNU program behavior standards.

* Makefiles: Added `make uninstall' target, enabled `./configure's
  program name transformations, made VPATH builds possible.


Version 2.6.3   7.Sep.1998

* No user-visible changes (fixed configuration bugs and renamed some
  variables).


Version 2.6.2   17.Aug.1998

* Bug fix: If `idle' was off, the warning window would never appear (it was
  waiting for a key press -- stupid, since it wasn't listening for any key
  presses). Bug reported by Malcolm Ross Kinsella Ryan
  <malcolmr@cse.unsw.edu.au>.


Version 2.6.1   8.Jun.1998

* Fixed the clock, which will now disappear properly instead of leaving a
  black square (even in mono).


Version 2.6   29.May.1998

* Made and included pictures for monochromatic screens and added `mono'
  option.

* Bug fixes for `lock', `clock' and `breakclock'.

* Restored the time argument to `idle'.


Version 2.6b8   27.May.1998

* Added support for --long-options and --version.

* Fixed race condition in schedule.c, which could result in losing
  keystrokes. Bug reported by Gregory Galperin <grg@ai.mit.edu>.


Version 2.6b7   23.May.1998

* Clock improvements: fixed problem with black-on-black clock on 24-plane
  displays (it had to do with visual selection: WhitePixel wasn't white
  since the Visual was not the default). Also improved clock appearance and
  made it appear more like when it's supposed to. Bug reported by Erez
  Zadok <ezk@cs.columbia.edu>.


Version 2.6b6   5.May.1998

* Improved the configure script to use <sys/types.h> for u_int32_t, etc.
  when possible.

* Fixed bug in gifx.c: on a 24-plane display, any picture came out all
  black. (The problem: implementation-specific behavior of <<;
  specifically, I expected 1<<32 == 0 for 32-bit ints.) Bug reported by
  Alexander Konstantinou <akonstan@cs.columbia.edu> and Matthew Lewis
  <mlewis@cgrg.ohio-state.edu>.

* Added visual searching: xwrits will now use a TrueColor visual if
  available.


Version 2.6b4   5.May.1998

* Updated GIF library to 0.9, the version used in Gifsicle. This has
  temporarily broken support for monochrome displays, but will hopefully
  fix other bugs some people have experienced.


Version 2.6b3   24.Nov.1997

* Fixed installation and improved the configure script.


Version 2.6b2

* Fixed bug with freeing memory multiple times. Works better on Linux now.
  Thanks to Albert L. Ting <alt@artisan.com> for a patch.


Version 2.5   13.Nov.1995

* The most important change is the +idle option, on by default, which makes
  xwrits slightly smarter than an alarm clock. The code has also been
  completely reorganized around the Alarm concept, which makes it much
  cleaner.


Version 2

* Many, many more options have been added. The code has been cleaned up a
  great deal, and also expanded a great deal. Comments should still be
  added to the code.

* Xwrits no longer uses XPM files. Instead, it uses GIF files, with some
  proprietary extensions. The GIF files are compiled into C files, then
  object files, and read from memory. This makes xwrits a much, much
  smaller executable, faster, and more portable.


Version 1   Summer 1994

* Original distribution.